Posts Tagged ‘Obsidian’

RPG maestro and human stretch goal Chris Avellone probably isn’t planning to go solo but earlier today he confirmed that he’ll be leaving Obsidian. The studio’s most recent title was the superbPillars of Eternity, on which Avellone worked as a narrative designer, but both he and Obsidian, the company that he co-founded, have a proud back catalogue. Obsidian is still home to some of the finest minds in the RPG business, not least Eternity lead Josh Sawyer, so my main interest here is not what happens to the studio he’s leaving but what Avellone does next.

I take roleplaying seriously. That’s not to say I have a cupboard full of lucky dice or a handcrafted elven tunic – what I mean to say is that when I play an RPG, I try to make all of my decisions based on my character rather than the systems. I’ll pass up a huge pile of loot if I don’t think that taking it would be in-character. Roleplaying is a performance of sorts and Pillars of Eternity [official site] encourages my particular approach to the genre by combining a huge, tightly scripted plot with systems that go some way toward mimicking the best qualities of a human Dungeon Master.

Selina Scott and Jeff Banks were right all along: dress wrong and you’re nothing. This is the lesson of Pillars of Eternity, a howler of a newly-disclosed bug in which will permanently strip your characters of buffs if you happen to use the inventory a certain way.

Oh thank goodness. After 77,000 backers, $4 million raised and nearly three years in development, Obsidian’s Pillars Of Eternity [official site] is here, and it’s just stunning.

This is the RPG I’ve been craving since Planescape: Torment, the first to win my absolute love since Dragon Age: Origin. It’s a vast, deep and wonderfully written game, malleable to how you want to approach the genre, replete with companions, side-quests, an enormously involved combat system, and lasts a solid 60 hours. Here’s wot I think:

I have spent most of the last week doing little else but play Obsidian’s Pillars Of Eternity [official site]. But I cannot yet tell you wot I think, as such brainthoughtss are under embargo. I can, however, stream or “let’s play” the first fifteen hours of the game. But I’m not going to do that, because it would be the most awful shame for you to have such things spoiled.

Instead I’ve videoed and chatted over the first half hour, from the character creator to the opening scenes, stopping right before the plot kicks in. Because you don’t want to know the story before you play an RPG, because you’re not a complete clot.

From their beginnings as a rag-tag band of plucky youngsters forming after the closure of Black Isle Studios, Obsidian Entertainment have made RPGs. Alpha Protocol, Fallout: New Vegas, Knights of the Old Republic II, Pillars of Eternity… it’s sort of their thing. They do still like a good explosion, though. We didn’t post about the announcement of Armored Warfare in March (a few days before I joined RPS). I imagine the Hivemind looking at its inbox in disbelief, glancing at the bottle of moonshine in its tendrils, back at the e-mail, the bottle, to the e-mail, the bottle, then finally declaring “No more for me!” and tossing the bottle over its many shoulders.

But Obsidian are making a free-to-play multiplayer tank game. For proof, see this first gameplay vid.

After publishing my thoroughconversation with Pillars of Eternity lead designer Josh Sawyer, I realised that I hadn’t actually expressed an opinion about the game. I was curious and hopeful but hadn’t had a chance to play it, and see how well all of the elements came together. The backer beta, which launched yesterday, is a huge relief. Pillars is shaping up to be worthy of its inspirations, and intelligent and bold enough not to be bound to them.

In the second and final part of a conversation with Josh Sawyer of Obsidian (part one), we discuss how the design of Pillars of Eternity differs from Fallout: New Vegas. That involves a discussion of New Vegas’ post-release support, official and otherwise, and the pros and cons of traditional RPG systems. Of particular note – why Pillars of Eternity does not have a Speech skill, or any other skill of that sort.

With contributions from executive producer Brandon Adler, we also discuss the role of Paradox as publisher and the benefits of digital distribution, and end with a tribute to nineties RPG, Darklands.

Pillars of Eternity was, briefly, gaming’s most successful Kickstarter, at least in terms of funds raised. Like many crowdfunded games, particularly in the early days, it’s a project driven partly by nostalgia. A party-based fantasy RPG in the style of Baldur’s Gate and the other Infinity Engine D&D games, it has a strong heritage to live up to. Obsidian’s Josh Sawyer is the director of the game and I spoke to him late last week about theology, flagellant monks, freedom from licensing and respecting player’s choices. We also talked about his desire to make a historical RPG and his previous work, particularly the design of Fallout: New Vegas.

Sound the unexpected announcement alarms and check to make sure over-jerked knees are covered by your insurance plan. Paradox has announced that it’s publishing Obsidian’s notoriously independent old-school RPG Pillars of Eternity, a big, (not, by most definitions) bad publishing type dipping its pinky toe into the brave new world of Kickstarter. “…Er, why?” You might ask. “Also didn’t Obsidian get oodles of cash from backers? What happens to the game they paid for if Paradox decides all bets are off?” Well, good news is, Paradox can’t actually do that. I quizzed Paradox CEO Fred Wester and Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart about their new partnership, creative control, what this means for backers, why the two companies struck a deal in the first place, whether Paradox is interested in pursuing other classic RPG revivals like Torment, and how South Park ended up glitchy despite Obsidian’s allegedly renewed QA efforts. It’s all below.

Almost two years late, and following a publisher change and multiple slips, Obsidian’s South Park: The Stick Of Truth is finally out this week. (Today in the States, Australia tomorrow, and Europe on Friday, because, sigh.) But has it been worth the wait? As ever, it’s complicated. Here’s wot I think:

Edit: According to Get Games, Ubisoft have comfirmed that the PC version will be censored in Germany, Austria, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong & Taiwan. Elsewhere, it will be unaffected.

South Park is a series known for its ability to get away with quite a lot, but not everything. Add South Park: The Stick of Truth to the raucously raunchy series’ short list of consolations, as it’s had a few scenes nipped and tucked in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. You might feel inclined to curse up a storm, make a steaming pile of poop jokes, and then somehow come around to making a worthwhile point in response, but take a deep breath: the PC version is unaffected.